💾 On the train heading to Seoul, I find myself rambling. Having been forced to wake up early to attend UDC2025, I'm writing this on the KTX. It's already been a year since KBW2024, which held significant meaning for me, has passed. I want to reflect on what I felt a year ago compared to what I feel now as I try to shake off my sleepiness. 1️⃣ The rise of BLUR and the explosion of FriendTech Personally, this was the biggest catalyst for me to think that I need to grow beyond Korea. Paradigm VC made a bold move at that time by handing over most of the seed investment list for BLUR to famous CTs (or KOLs) instead of VCs. I felt that the pioneers in the industry were realizing that there are areas where KOLs can contribute more to a project's growth than VCs. This thought was solidified through FriendTech, where I realized there are insurmountable barriers with global KOLs, and that the Korean community is quite small. In this process, I saw this as an opportunity for my own growth and made many resolutions to improve. 2️⃣ Growth through KBW2024 and English conversation Along with that resolution, the most urgent matter was improving my English conversation skills. I believed that having the opportunity to communicate directly with the foundation would make a significant difference, so I humorously sought out over 20 places for KBW2024 side events where there were likely no Koreans, attempting to converse with foreigners. Surprisingly, after that, I gained confidence in my English, and although I still have a long way to go, I've grown enough to have calls with many project teams for about an hour. Despite my lack of English skills at that time, I am very grateful to my close friends @dadagrassman, @miratisu_ps, @ahboyash, @0xkatz, and @RyanChow_DeFi for being so kind and inclusive. In fact, it's more accurate to say that I gained confidence rather than becoming proficient in English, as I learned that good friends in the WEB3 world are considerate enough to understand my limited English. Of course, we live in an era where AI translates everything, but I believe that the connection formed by communicating with one's own voice and listening with one's own ears cannot be achieved through AI translation, so I will continue to work on improving my English skills. 3️⃣ Growth through Kaito Along with improving my English conversation, I also worked on moving from Telegram to Twitter. While Twitter has a wider reach, Telegram was quite closed off, and due to many undisclosed aspects, global teams were uncertain about the strength of the Korean community, making meaningful collaboration difficult. During this time, @KaitoAI became a catalyst, and with the active support of @jiwoo_jun, the golden age of Korean Yappers began, and I also benefited greatly. I am thankful to @Punk9277 for readily participating in the AMA. I also appreciate the connections made through Kaito with @Ru7Longcrypto, @yueya_eth, @VIVISTAYGOLD, @0xzoe_im, and @AloeOnChain, and I hope we can continue to grow together. 4️⃣ Growth through self-content planning Even after Kaito, I have worked hard to become someone who can provide unique content rather than just being a top KOL in Korea, which has positively impacted the overall growth of the Korean community and expanded the scope of benefits. I submitted content proposals tailored to each project, and thanks to the teams that responded positively, both I and the Korean community were able to grow a step further. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to @0G_labs, @Mira_Network, @MMTFinance, @OpenledgerHQ, @Theo_Network, @ethsign, @SuccinctLabs, @campnetworkxyz, @overtake_world, @StoryProtocol, @ethena_labs, @monad, @SuiNetwork, @irys_xyz, @defidotapp, @Sidekick_Labs, @soon_svm, and others for graciously supporting my somewhat absurd attempts. 5️⃣ Will I be able to continue? With my wedding approaching this year, as I transition from being a man to a husband and then to a father, honestly... I don't think I can accelerate this trend. However, as the Korean community grows, wonderful friends like @CyberRektruck, @hyeon__dev, @KORypto_JUN, @RaoniKor, @dorami404, and @moonyu_myu are enriching the community, and with @ROKMCFIREANT, whom I can always rely on to do things together, I am confident that the Korean market can establish its presence and grow in WEB3. Moreover, seeing excellent individuals in Korea taking key roles in large foundations has greatly contributed to the growth of the Korean community, and I believe it can create synergy. I extend my heartfelt thanks to @sungmo_nad, @Gem3a, @0xtkyeo, @onchainwanderer, @0xyoungin, @holy__molly_, and @ksatoshi_iota, @jiwoo_jun. 6️⃣ May the Korean market continue to grow Some people say self-deprecatingly that the Korean market is Exit Liquidity, and while I somewhat agree, I believe that if so, we should be able to demand an entrance fee with confidence. If the Korean market is so desirable, we should show efforts to be welcomed and encourage more efforts in Korea, and I think this is one of many solutions. I also believe that this approach can be a stepping stone to creating jobs, not just investments and profits, when WEB3 truly reaches mass adoption, so I intend to stick to my way. I still have many shortcomings, flaws, and points that can be criticized, but I will continue to strive for growth and work hard to show results. Summary: Let's keep existing, fighting!